


Sweet like wine

by snoozingkitten



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 07:46:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14515680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snoozingkitten/pseuds/snoozingkitten
Summary: His cunning plan to hide being an Omega hadn’t factored in being abducted by hostile aliens.Or. Matt lives out a cliche Star Trek themed porno and never gives up looking for his family.





	Sweet like wine

**Author's Note:**

> I just felt the need to share my Matt Holt head cannons because there just isn't enough of him in the show. That and every pairing needs A/B/O filth and I cannot help myself. Non-linear timeline, numbers indicate chronological order. 
> 
> No beta at this point, point out errors and typos.

**1**

Matt wanted space like he had never wanted anything else before. It had pushed him harder and harder in middle school, pushed past the bullying and jealousy. Most people didn’t have fathers who worked at the Galaxy Garrison. Most people didn’t have the opportunity and the drive to even get a chance.

“I’m going to apply for the Galaxy Garrison.” Matt announced at dinner, shocking no one at all.

His parents gave each other a long look. 

“Duh.” Katie rolled her eyes, he nudged her with his foot under the table and she stuck her tongue out at him. Still, she was smiling. The space bug had bitten her too. Too much time spent with their mother on the roof and a telescope ‘Daddy is out there, lets watch for the ISS to pass over okay?’ 

Matt had startled his primary school teacher when he announced ‘Daddy went to the sky’, his teacher had given his mom deepest condolences in a meeting which was a running joke after that. Katie had pulled the same trick grinning at their shared teacher who by this time just sighed. One Holt had been enough- too inquisitive for ten children and just as clever. 

“We’ll make it happen.” Colleen announced. His father gave her a fond smile. 

“What the Garrison doesn’t know can’t hurt them.” He agreed. 

 

**7**

Shiro was standing there on the other side of the truly stunning Altean. Which a living Altean was weird enough, as if Katie finding him in the far-flung reaches of the galaxy wasn’t enough of a shock. 

Seeing him was a bit like getting electrocuted when gutting some piece of machinery he didn’t understand enough to turn off. Hair raising on the back of his neck, heart pounding in overtime as natural electrical currents went wild. Everything seemed to slow as he focused past Allura and Lance. Shiro, alive and whole. The scar and hair were new, not quite the same Shiro from his fantasies but beautiful like a sunrise he hadn’t expected to live to see. 

“Shiro?” 

Shiro smiled at him. 

The gravity on this planet shifted in a clear defiance of the natural laws of physics. Quite suddenly he found himself walking, closer and closer to Shiro and the gentle curve of his mouth. He was bigger than Matt remembered, broader in the shoulders. Shiro had lost the roundness of his cheeks that belayed his age despite his insistence on being overly serious. 

“It’s good to see you,” Matt paused, too much running through his head to process any one thought, “Sir.” That wasn’t at all what he wanted to say. If he wasn’t too busy staring he would have shoved his foot in his mouth. The formality felt awkward on his lips after everything they had shared back on that prison ship but he wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he would get. 

Being pulled into a hug was like looking up and seeing Katie. A sense of deep longing for something he had already written off. 

The armour was hard against his chest but Shiro’s arms went around him easily and Matt felt a tugging behind his eyes. Shiro smelled the same. It soothed the frantic race of his mind until everything settled into more familiar patterns. 

“Pidge never stopped looking for you.” He said, his voice a low rumble so it wasn’t too loud right next to his ear. Matt’s breath caught stutteringly in his chest. 

“She can be pretty stubborn.” He agreed.

“Pot, meet kettle.” Matt smiled helplessly into Shiro’s chest where Shiro had no chance of seeing it. “I promise Voltron will help find Sam.” 

“Thanks.” 

They probably had been standing there a touch too long, wrapped together. Something a little more than two colleagues. Matt stepped back first, hyper aware of his own flushed face and the curious looks from the rest of the paladins. He looked at them for the first time, trying to find his composure. They looked like a pile of children playing dress-up. If he hadn’t seen Katie fight, heard the Galra growing increasingly anxious with every sighting of Voltron he might not have believed these kids were out saving the galaxy.

Katie rushed forward, her gloved hand slipping into his and tugging him forward away from the others. He was thrown back for a moment, her hand in his, small and sticky pulling him towards the park, shining and excited in her new romper. 

God, he had missed her. A part of him hadn’t realized just how lonely he had been. He looked over his shoulder at Shiro as she tugged him away. 

 

 **5**

Te-Osh gently nudged his shoulder, she was tall and thin, towering over him in shapes unknown to his known solar system but Matt was pretty used to her by this point. She had terrified him after the explosion went off, rocking his cell. Still she had helped him up and he limped after her with no options left but to trust her. 

“You’re catching on fast.” She commented, watching his hands flash over the rigged up key board.

Matt just winked at her. “I’m pretty smart you know.” 

She just nodded, her culture didn’t really understand humour. That in itself usually made her pretty funny to hang out with. 

Alone on the rebel ship and hurtling through space once more to an unknown fate while being chased by Galra fighters Matt had curled into a ball and she’d put a hand on his shoulder almost eclipsing his whole side with her long-fingered hand. That one moment engraved a spot for her in his heart. His father was gone, Shiro was gone. As a coping mechanism he had thrown himself into whatever the rebels needed of him. 

Te-Osh was a pilot and a medic when needed. Her planet had fallen to the Galra recently enough that the cultural memory stung still. She’d helped him modify some armour to fit his small and fleshy human shape. Helped him feel safe again. 

Communication was a universal constant. Matt had mastered basic Galra while in captivity. Their verb tenses were actually pretty simple. Reading it had come soon one the heels after that. Data synthesis had always been his strong suit.

Soon he’d begun listening in on Galra transmissions. Their encryption had at first seemed pretty complex, but once he realized they relied on palindromic number sets to mask the true encryption sub routines it had been almost laughable. He had more trouble figuring out how to turn the “computer” on, embarrassingly electrocuted himself once. 

“We are going to stop at Kovacs, there is a pretty good market there, the ship is beginning to show her age. Also we are going to need to modify some weapons since you want to continue training, your hands are just so small.” 

“Rude.” Matt hummed, he was pretty used to her complaining about just how fundamentally flawed human evolution was. She couldn’t imagine what a forgiving planet had allowed this, scoffed when he explained about tigers and polar bears. 

A set of co-ordinates being rumbled over the transmission caught his attention had him leaning so far forward he was in danger of tipping right out of his chair. One of the first things he’d had too do once he was in the transmissions was decipher their mapping system. The galaxy had no defined edges or middle, maps were highly subjective across all the planets he had encountered. Everyone tended to place themselves at the center and the relative distances didn’t always match up.

Galra’s mapping point of origin appeared to be a plot of empty space. There was probably a tragic back-story there. Then he had calculated the relative distance to earth in the Galra system and set a flag for it.

These co-ordinates were Earth. 

“What is it?” Te-Osh must have sensed his abrupt change in attitude. 

They were so for away it would take years even at FTL travel to make it home and he was out here listening on Galra gossiping on the fleet descending on a little back water planet filled with hairless apes and no defences. 

Katie, Mom, Tesla their dog. 

Matt tipped forward catching himself as he actually fell out of the chair. “That’s my home, they are talking about Earth.” 

Te-Osh didn’t say anything and her silence was every bit as telling. They both knew that the outcome was inevitable. Matt suddenly felt like he was going to vomit and swallowed against the urge and the way his face burned. 

\--

Matt didn’t sleep for the next 48 hours. He found a way to link up to a series of ships communication systems, dragging his transmission net wider and wider further than he had initially thought was technically possible. He furiously translated every scrap of information he had hoping against hope someone would mention the fate of earth. He barely paused to eat, marinating in his own anxiety. He was practically thinking in Galra, slipping in and out of Standard.

Te-Osh moved around him, cataloguing their haul of supplies and keeping the ship on track. She was giving him his space and didn’t seem to have any words of comfort or head pats that could fix this. 

The transmission came in, ‘A lion has appeared, pull out the fleet and give chase’ 

It didn’t mean Earth was safe, but it was something even if it was cryptic as fuck. 

Suddenly the alarms came alight, bathing them in purple suddenly, ship’s speakers crackling to life with a shrill scream. 

“What’s going on Te-Osh?” Matt jolted up. The main screen flipped to a map, showing a Galra cruiser coming straight for them. 

“They found us.” She slid into the pilot’s seat taking them off auto-pilot and pulling a sharp enough turn that the artificial gravity field gave a lurch that he felt in his stomach. The ship groaned as she kicked the engines into high gear. “I don’t know how.” 

Matt watched the read out for a moment, the old fear the Galra instilled in him flaring to life causing his heart to pound whole nervous system flooded suddenly with adrenaline. 

“The transmission network.” He breathed out, sharp. “They must have tracked it.” When they were exploded silently screaming in space with was going to be his fault. 

Te-Osh only grunted. Practical to a fault, no time for blame or panic, just survival. 

“Hail the nearest ship, we’re going to need help.” 

Matt’s hands shook, terror and exhaustion making his mind feel too slow. He pinged the nearest ship, sending a sub-routine that would identify them as a rebel ship. 

The screen flared to life. As usual the alien was a little startled by his face but panic was universal. 

“This is a rebel supply ship we’re under attack by a Galra cruiser. We’re laden down with medical supplies and armaments.” His voice came out high and uncertain, words tripping on each other. “Requesting aid.” 

“Hang in there, we are on the way.” 

“We will get through this.” Te-Osh said, confident and quiet. Matt smiled, more like baring his teeth. And when they did he was going to perfect his communications array and kick the Galra right in the nutsack.

Assuming the Galra had testicles. 

 

 **2**

Between his Mother’s skills at biochemistry and his Dad’s hacking and insider knowledge of the Galaxy Garrison’s systems they were not going to let a little thing like biology get in the way of Matt getting into the stars. 

The Galaxy Garrison had pretty strong rules stating that Omegas could work ground jobs but they were not allowed on missions. No Omega had ever been to space. 

The heat suppressors worked as scent blockers, muting his natural pheromones to a level that wouldn’t be unusual for a Beta. His mom was really in her element, the kitchen, the lab, it didn’t matter to her, she could whip up magic. 

Honestly, Matt wouldn’t miss heats, the first one had felt like the end of the world and he really didn’t want to go through that again if he could avoid it. Besides, being a human test subject was kind of fun. Mother-son bonding sessions with blood samples and his mom explaining hormone levels as he worked, making sure Matt understood what was going on.

“Maybe I’ll get super powers.” 

Katie laughed, they were sprawled out across the floor, surrounded by their text books. “Mom could totally do that, I think I’d like to fly.” She agreed. Tesla was curled up in her puppy bed, exhausted from playing in the yard with them. 

“I’d like to be super strong.” He added, enough to bench press the family van.

They spent a lot of time together. Dad was away a lot. As they grew older their Mom had returned to her job heading a huge pharmaceutical laboratory. This meant Matt was often in charge of the house, making sure they both ate more than popcorn and did their homework on time. He was better at the homework thing than the eating properly thing. 

“Think it will be weird no one knowing your gender?” The math was too basic for her leaving her bored and unwilling to finish.

“Nah, that stuff isn’t important.” Not when there was space to consider. 

 

 **4**

“Dad.” Matt whispered. He felt feverish, cheeks flushed and tell-tale cramping in his stomach. His cunning plan to hide being an Omega hadn’t factored in being kidnapped by hostile aliens. “It’s going to be time soon.” Normally he’d rather chew his hand off than talk to his father about his heats but this was a unique circumstance. Kidnapped by hostile aliens and all. 

Shiro was across the cell, sleeping near the door. 

Sam looked grim but nodded. They both knew it was going to happen eventually as his body cleared the custom-made cocktail of drugs. It was only matter of time. 

The obvious answer lay asleep within kicking distance. Shiro kept putting himself between them and the Galra, it was kind of endearing. That wasn’t just the horny Omega speaking. 

“I’ve got a plan.” Sam said. 

That did make him feel better. He was an adult man, but it still felt good having his Dad reassure him, made him feel all of five years old and trying not to be ashamed to ask for a night light after having seen a scary movie with them. ‘I’ve loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night’, those words soothed him, and even now he trusted his Dad to protect him. 

“Talk to him tomorrow.” Sam said gently.

“I will.” 

Shiro had been a constant in his life since they were both assigned to the Kerberos mission. A year older than Matt and at first blush straight-laced Shiro was wicked hot and the heart throb of the GG. An Alpha through and through he always kept his head high but never used his position to bully, never relied on his stature to intimidate. He was genuinely a nice guy. It was almost sickening just how perfect he was. 

That was until they both stayed up for 24 hours binge watching Lord of the Rings and drink home made martinis, skipped classes the next day. Then it was secretive fist bumps and prank wars. Shiro tended to nerd out over anything with wings, kept scraps of articles from aviation magazines from when he was kid. He’d initially come because his parents had expected it of him only to fall in love with flying. 

The last few weeks had brought them closer still. Only the three of them homo sapiens as far as the eye could see. Still his face flamed thinking about what they needed to talk about. 

\--

“So, your Dad just gave me the weirdest talk.” Shiro sat down next to him. The daily tests had left them alone without Sam, an excellent co-incidence. Matt was still sore from having his blood drawn and being prodded in the abdomen on top of his cramps. They kept him longer this time, probably curious about the changes in his physiology. 

“Yeah?” Matt huffed. 

“He seemed to be worried about something.” Shiro paused to frown, “you know I’d protect you from anything right?” Shiro smiled at him, said such ridiculous things with such a straight face. 

“You dork.” Matt laughed, pulling his knees up to his chest. The three of them had been more tactile over the last few weeks. Shiro threw an arm around him and pulled him into a smelly one-armed hug. Matt felt himself flush down to his toes. 

“Hey, it’s true, the hero always saves his scientist.” Shiro proclaimed. “It’s in almost every sci-fi movie.” Matt elbowed him in the ribs causing Shiro to flinch away. 

“You think you’re the hero? Cute.” 

“No one is dashing like Takashi, strong like Takashi.” Shiro sang, surprising a genuine laugh out of him despite the nerves trying to strangle him before the mortification could kill him. 

“Yeah, there is something I need to ask. It’s embarrassing though.” Shiro rumbled next to him, a wordless reassurance. “Most importantly: I want you to know that you can say no. No obligation okay? Absolutely none.” 

“Sure?” 

Shiro pulled his arm back and turned to face Matt more fully, playful smile turning into a frown. 

Matt took a deep breath in and let it out all at once, he didn’t turn to face Shiro stubbornly staring at the opposite wall. “I’m going to go into heat soon and I want you to help me.” 

“Oh.” 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shiro flush scarlet. 

“No pressure right?” Matt said, terrified that Shiro would agree. 

“You’re an Omega.” It wasn’t really a question so Matt didn’t bother to answer. “Why. --How?” Shiro mumbled to himself. 

“You’ve met my Dad right? Mom’s a biochemist, they changed my gender on the application.” 

Shiro looked at the wall too, clearly lost in thought. Matt hid his face in his knees. 

“I guess that makes sense.” Shiro eventually declared. 

“Huh?” 

“Your smell has been changing recently, I thought you just hadn’t bathed.” 

“Hey!” Matt smiled a bit and Shiro reached over and cupped his shoulder, warm through the flight under suits they were all wearing. 

“I said anything.” Shiro was oddly quiet, sincere in a way Matt had never heard him.

“Sorry.” Matt mumbled. 

“It’s not like it’s a huge imposition.” Matt looked over and Shiro was blushing, even the tips of his ears were red. Matt chuckled. 

“I always knew it was my good looks that got me in.” Matt said with a shaky grin. 

“Something like that.” 

\--

“Sir?” Shiro was standing up, Matt crowded behind him. 

Sam was up to something, fussing about with the door. “This is the best way, just like we talked about. Watch him.” He said as he hacked into the lock. “I’ll find you two.” 

The door clicked open and Sam rushed out, the alarms blaring as guards flooded into the hall. He had timed it just in time to be seen escaping. Galra shouted as they thundered past the door. Matt tried to get around Shiro, help, do something. An arm around his waist caught him, it was like struggling against a wall. 

“Let me go. Dammit Shiro.” 

A giant Galra stood by the door, glaring at them both.

He wiggled this way and that but it was pointless. 

The door swung closed with a clang. Matt sagged in Shiro’s arms causing him to grunt at the sudden dead weight. 

“He has a plan.” Shiro said, Matt believed him but it wasn’t a comfort. 

The Galra remained stationed at the door while Matt paced back and forth. Shiro stayed by the door, arms crossed tight in front of his chest. 

Some time later three of the Galra appeared at the door, dismissed their guard. They led them both at spear point to another room. This one was at least twice as big as their previous cell, there was what looked like a bath in the corner and a huge nest-like bed. Their guard grunted and pushed them into the room. 

Matt looked around. It was pretty clear what was going on here. The Galra said something low and menacing. Something a bit degrading and a word he didn’t know. 

“I get the sense Galra have a similar phenomena.” Matt sighed. Listening to them chat until it was too quiet to hear. 

“You understand them?” Shiro raised his eyebrows. 

“I need a bit more context to be sure you know? Dad was pretty fluent already.” 

“Wow.” 

Matt flushed, all of a sudden remembering why they had been locked into the Garla equivalent of the honeymoon suite. Shiro’s admiration of his intellect felt nice, right in his stomach. 

“Might as well enjoy this swanky place while we can.” Matt put all the fake bravado he could and strode into the room, poking at the shallow bath. 

“Oh god it would be nice to be clean.” Shiro zeroed in on him, looking hungry. Matt got out of the way as Shiro made a beeline for the bath. 

“Well, get too it.” Matt flapped his hand.

Shiro unzipped his jumpsuit already poking at the controls at random. Matt swatted his hand away and poked at the control like he knew what he was doing so Shiro would smile at him gratefully as a pale milky liquid began to fill the tub. 

With the shamelessness of someone raised in a paramilitary base Shiro stripped down. Matt left him to it and began to explore the bed. He didn’t know where to begin, how to platonically cross that line between colleagues and Omega and Alpha sharing a heat. It wasn’t like it wasn’t something that happened, just not to Matt. 

Shiro groaned as the liquid splashed, and Matt felt his stomach clench. He’d never really entertained the thought of Shiro as an Alpha. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it, obsessing over it. Only Shiro’s head and shoulders were visible, then just his face as he sunk into the water looking blissed out. 

Matt caught himself staring, mouth watering. That was when Shiro looked over at him, black hair plastered to his forehead. He was flushed from the water, the milky bath obscuring the rest of him from view. 

“Matt?” 

“It’s nothing.” Matt flushed. Christ, Shiro was attractive. Like a magazine come to life. He was a horny Omega locked in a heat room with possibly the hottest Alpha he could imagine by aliens and he was over here being awkward about it.

“Matt.” He said a little lower and Matt couldn’t help himself, he padded over slowly, sinking down to sit next to the bath. “We should talk.” 

Matt sighed. “Breaking up with me already?” 

“Hardly.” Shiro’s wet hand landed in his head, dripping water into his hair. “It’s just weird isn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” Matt agreed. Much to his horror he began to purr softly. He’s never purred before in his life, but here with Shiro just petting his hair set him off. Shiro’s breath caught audibly in a little gasp. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” Shiro murmured but his hand didn’t stop moving, petting Matt slowly and soothingly. 

Matt hid his face in his own shoulder. Shiro was just too much to handle in that moment. 

“This is like a bad Star Trek porn.” Matt said, voice muffled and small and Shiro chuckled, letting his hand slide down to Matt’s neck causing shivers to rush down his spine. “Oh Captain Kirk.” Matt didn’t need too try too hard to make himself sound breathy. 

Shiro chuckled wordlessly. 

In lull while Shiro just soaked in the tub gently rubbing his shoulder Matt couldn’t help himself and blurted out, “I have implantable birth control.” 

“Ah.” 

“I can’t believe I said that.” Matt laughed curling in on himself a little. Shiro’s hand on his neck tightened then went back to gentle petting. 

“I was wondering.” Shiro sounded somewhere between shy and amused. “I really didn’t know how to ask.” 

It was kind of nice that Shiro seemed a little hesitant about the whole thing too. A bit uncertain, something between them formless and flammable. They lapsed into silence again, just Matt’s low purring filling the room. 

This time it was Shiro who shattered the silence, “did you want to get in the bath with me? It’s pretty big.” 

Matt went rigid. Mouth drying up at the though of being naked and wet with Shiro short-circuiting him despite what they were here form—him being naked and wet. 

“Or not.” Shiro said awkwardly. 

Matt flushed. “No. I mean, yes. Sure.” 

Matt took his time unzipping the back of his jumpsuit. He was a little light headed with the smell of Shiro, hadn’t realized how strong it was until he’d taken a step away. Slipping into the water was awkward even it if wasn’t slippery. Too many limbs, trying not to touch Shiro too much. The water was weirdly buoyant. 

Shiro’s arms slithered around his waist pulling him in against his chest in an aggressive cuddle. Incrementally Matt relaxed. Between the water and Shiro pressed up against his back he began to purr again, louder and more insistent this time. 

“It’s okay.” Shiro rumbled, voice vibrating against his back. “We’ll get through this.” 

“Yeah, such a hardship, you know half the Garrison would kill to be me.” Matt complained, it had been kind of funny to watch people stutter and blush talking to Shiro. Half the time he seemed to not even notice. 

Shiro chuckled. He kissed Matt’s shoulder softly sending a bolt of warmth through him. Matt gasped. “Sorry.” Shiro stopped moving, letting Matt rest against him until he relaxed again. 

“I’ve got of a bit of a confession.” Matt said. The wall on the other side of the tub was really plain. 

“Yeah?”

Matt took a little half breath. “I’ve never done this before.” Which, not surprising giving he’d been pretending not to be an Omega through the usual adolescent fondling years of his life. His physiology would have been a dead give away, so there had been nothing but his good old right hand for years now. Which was nothing compared to the solid feeling of Shiro, skin sliding wetly with every breath. 

“Fuck.” Shiro said against his shoulder. Arms tightened around him for a moment, clutching him close. Matt gasped, startled out of his embarrassment. 

“Yeah?” Matt asked, coy. 

“It’s pretty hot.” Shiro agreed and Matt laughed, delighted.

“Pervert.” 

This time when Shiro brushed his mouth against his shoulder Matt didn’t flinch, just let Shiro nose across his shoulders towards his neck, aimless exploration. 

He settled into the silence, tilting his head a little and letting Shiro’s mouth wander as it would. 

Surprisingly Shiro was the one to speak first. “Is the contact helping? It should ease some of your symptoms.” 

Matt’s eyes burned from the steam. The release of tension was so visceral it ached now that he had a name for it. He’d been too wound up to even notice just how much better he felt. It was illogical but Shiro’s arms felt safe, the beginnings of his heat flooding his system with happy endorphins to keep him close to Shiro. 

“You’ve done this before right?” Matt asked, letting his wet hands come up so he could examine the milky substance closer, refusing to look over his own naked shoulder. “I mean, I want to know what I’m dealing with. Clearly, I mean, it doesn’t matter since we didn’t choose this really, not that I’m not grateful. I’m very grateful you’re willing to do this for—with –uh, me.” Matt bit back the babble with an audible click of his teeth. 

“Yeah.” Shiro replied, ignoring most of what he said and focusing on the question. 

Matt would have been surprised if that wasn’t true. Most people had eyes. Shiro continued, voice soft without any trace of wistfulness, just stating the fact. “I shared a heat with a girl once. One of the communications specialists.”

Matt shrugged, wet skin sliding pleasantly. “Good to know. Good hands.” 

The infrequent heats he’d begun, had been painful, crampy and filled with a mood swings and a desperate longing he couldn’t explain. Locked in his room, horny and wet, air humid with his pheromones and desperation as he rolled across the bed, humping it until his dick felt raw. He’d supressed them before his body was able to settle into regular cycles and hadn’t missed them even a little. He had no idea what to expect from this one. 

Would they kiss? So far Shiro as an Alpha was just like Shiro as a pilot only with naked cuddling. While on the other hand Matt as an Omega felt like a fucking mess. Terrified and horny in turns. 

“I wonder if this stuff has the same osmotic make up as water? Will we get wrinkled or puff up?” Matt asked, letting it cup and roll out of his hands onto Shiro’s hands as they wandered across his abdomen. 

“It is a little more dense, I feel more buoyant than good old H2O. If only we had a mass spec or a good old liquid chromatography and a flame.” Shiro was talking science while his hands spanned Matt’s rib cage, keeping them close and Matt found himself smiling. “Think the Galra will tell us if we ask?” 

“Probably not. We could start a fire?” Matt asked. 

“Not enough metal to spark, not even sure this metal would spark.” Shiro looked around, taking this theoretical question as seriously as any of their study material. “I guess we wont be able to figure it out. I could eat some?” 

Matt was going to say something about the classic geologist art of licking rocks to determine composition when Shiro licked his shoulder and Matt all of a sudden found it hard to take in a full breath. 

“Mineral. Nothing specific.” 

Matt grunted. Flushed. “Contaminated. Poor lab technique.” He replied after stopping to lick his lips. 

Shiro chuckled. “Too much? Too soon? I can’t smell you very well, it’s hard to tell.” 

“Probably the drugs.” Somewhere he had probably known the half-life kinetics but that was a long time ago, memory since replaced with song lyrics and star charts. 

“It’s okay.” Matt decided, half fake bravado and half the curling arousal that Shiro’s proximity triggered. He had no way of knowing how long the Galra would leave them in here, it was probably better that Shiro trigger the worst of his heat before their captors got an eye-full and a crash course in human anatomy. 

“I can do slow.” Shiro hummed, it sounded like a dare and Matt grinned at the wall opposite. 

“I don’t want slow.”

“I didn’t think you would.” Shiro responded. They had stolen a hover-cycle once taking it out across the desert, Matt clinging to the bike while Shiro wrapped around rock formations so tight the lurch of shifting gravity made Matt’s stomach feel like it was coming out his mouth. All the while urging him faster and faster, more exhilarating than any simulated flight. 

With a fortifying breath Matt twisted around, sitting more or less side ways so he could at least look at Shiro while they spoke. It was a lot more interesting than the wall. 

“There you are.” Shiro smiled at him like the big dork he was. He was flushed pink.

Matt rolled his eyes. “Move over, my legs are too long for this.” Which was untrue and they both knew it. 

Shiro leaned back, sinking deeper into the water and letting his legs fall open so Matt could fit himself into the negative space created just for him. This way he was braced on Shiro’s chest looking at him in the eyes, big hands rested on his lower back. The steam had beaded on Shiro’s eyelashes, he was damp from where he’d submerged himself before. 

Riding a wave of recklessness and entranced by the fact that he’d forgotten just how gorgeous Shiro really was Matt let voice the question he had been dwelling on. “Can I kiss you?” 

Shiro raised his eyebrows in surprise for a second, looking shocked. “Of course.” 

“Well, okay.”

Matt took a few heartbeats planning his attack. Leaning forward to just brush his lips against Shiro’s coyly. Shiro tilted up into the movement letting Matt catalogue the feeling, adjusting experimentally until he was kissing Shiro in a series of short pecks. 

Porn didn’t feature a lot of kissing, not of mouths anyways. Still it seemed like it should be easy for someone with his intellect. Matt licked at Shiro’s mouth. Just tasting the mineral liquid that had dried there. The texture wasn’t bad, better when Shiro opened his mouth on the next pass, mineral nothing specific . The insides of his lips were silky smooth, teeth hard. 

Matt sighed into the kiss, pushed up a little trying to get closer. Shiro pulled him in, strong thighs trapping him. 

The next pass involved Shiro’s tongue. That was a whole new level of toe-curlingly nice. Rough and smooth, all at once, moving leisurely against his own. Matt began to mimic what Shiro began, letting him lead Matt through the motions. Teaching him what Shiro enjoyed. Matt was brilliant at most things—all things—and he began to kiss back. 

Everything was better with kissing, the slide of Shiro’s warm hands on his back. The sensation of strong thighs trapping him in close. One kiss slipped into the next and the one after that. Swapping deep pulling kisses, Matt biting at Shiro’s lips because it seemed to startle Shiro each time. 

By the time Shiro gave him some space Matt was dizzy and breathless. 

“Oh wow.” Matt breathed. His mouth felt raw, lips tingling and hot. 

Shiro laughed, hugging him closer so he could run his nose up the arch of his cheek towards his hair. Matt felt the deep inhale where he was braced against Shiro’s chest. 

“There you are.” Shiro hummed, voice vibrating against his temple. 

“What?” Matt felt lust-drunk and slow.

“It’s starting. You smell stronger.” Shiro look another deep breath, pulling Matt up his chest so he could stick his face right down under Matt’s ear. Matt clung to his shoulder with a yelp. “Sorry.” Shiro grunted, he really didn’t sound like he was. 

Matt cupped the back of his head to balance himself. Black hair rough against his fingers as he held on. If Shiro didn’t hold him tight he would have slithered out of his hold and down the presumed drain. His insides felt and gooey, whole body suddenly losing structural integrity to flop into Shiro’s hold his chest lighting up with a loud purr. 

Heat was the right word for it. The cramping in his stomach had shifted, settled lower, and his skin felt scalded. Hotter than when he’d slipped into the steaming bath. Hotter even than Shiro’s mouth when he nuzzled desperately for a kiss. It was like he’d hit fast forward on all the awkward pain and fevers that marked the half a day before his heat had kicked in last time. Skin on skin contact was a known trigger; still this kind of reaction was beyond imagining. It was beyond science, beyond the biology of pheromones and straight into the category of chemical explosions. 

There was a supernova in him, a black hole trying to pull everything inside. 

He was greedy for the wet slide of Shiro’s tongue, kept pulling him back when Shiro went for his neck. “Shiro,” Matt breathed against his mouth, barely able to find to breath to even say that. 

“Yeah?” 

Matt licked the words from his tongue. Couldn’t help himself. He needed to glut himself on Shiro, it was the only thing that would calm him. Something primal that demanded Shiro touch him, pay attention to him, need him as much as he needed Shiro. 

“Shiro.” 

It wasn’t close enough. He whined when Shiro pulled away, pressing his face against the angle of his jaw to breath deeply. “More kisses. No come here.” Matt demanded, tilting his head in. 

Shiro bit him. 

“Ah.” Matt yelped, digging his fingers into Shiro’s shoulder, startled twice, once by the press of teeth and again by the way it grabbed something in his gut and twisted. He was coming apart from the inside out, pulled apart by the smallest of gesture. “Okay that. Do that.” 

Shiro bit a little lower, the softest scrape of teeth across the thin skin covering his collar bone and a bit lower where the muscle was thicker, enough to sink his teeth into. The curve of Shiro’s skull fit just against the cup of his palm when he clutched it to hold on. 

“That feels nice.” Matt rumbled, pressing his lips to Shiro’s hair. It tickled against his already abused lips. They felt swollen and tender. 

Shiro nuzzled into the bony plane of his chest, humming softly. He tugged on pale bits of flesh where his teeth could find purchase. Matt never would have guessed being mauled would be a turn on. It also probably should have been cold where the fluid was drying on his skin but he was beginning to burn up. 

“You ready to take this to the bed-thing?” 

Matt froze. Shiro just held him for a moment, stopping with him. 

A part of him had just been ignoring the fact that Shiro’s dick had been getting progressively involved with the situation, digging into his leg where they were tangled together. Flattered and a little terrified he sat there on top of Shiro his brain tumbling from one thought to the next all centered around Shiro eventually managing to fit his dick inside of Matt.

“Talk to me.” Shiro pulled back, tipping his head up so he was looking up at Matt through his thick dark lashes. High cheek bones were flushed and his mouth was wet, lips blushed a pretty red.

Matt stammered, before laughing at himself. “Just a bit nervous I guess?” 

“Yeah?” 

Why had he never noticed how breathlessly gorgeous Shiro was when he was looking up at Matt like that. Soft eyes mixed with the deep hunger that lingered around the corners of Shiro’s mouth despite his best efforts to look soft and supportive. 

“Let’s move this out of the bath anyways.” Matt said, certain that this was what he needed.

“Can I carry you?” 

Matt frowned at him, confused, Shiro’s grin grew a little wider. “What?” 

Matt yelped, clinging to Shiro’s shoulders as he slid one bracing arm under his bare ass and used the other and a truly awe-inspiring show of core abdominals to lever them both standing. 

Water trailed off Matt’s toes, dangling uselessly in the air while he clung naked and wet to Shiro’s chest. He couldn’t help the laughing. Chuckling, trusting Shiro to balance both of them as he made his way across the cell. 

A completely ridiculous man. 

“This is our stop.” Shiro announced formally, he shifted his grip a bit but didn’t put him down.

“I’m pretty comfy where I am actually.” 

“Fine.” Shiro snorted. Because he was in truly amazing shape he managed to sit with Matt still clinging to him even though the low bed made his arms bulge with the effort of keeping them both up and not just dropping down to the bedding. 

“Okay, that was pretty impressive.” Matt admit, embarrassing himself with a low interested purr. 

“This okay?” 

Shiro just carried him across the room like the Alpha male he clearly was but was also giving Matt the sweetest look. Somewhere between how spine meltingly hot Shiro was and how sweet he was treating this his stomach had turned to liquid. He was beginning to feel a little wet. 

“Yeah.”

There was a lot more space for him to push on Shiro’s shoulders, toppling him backwards. The nest wasn’t quite a mattress or bed in the classical earth sense of the word. It was softer, Shiro sinking between his knees. 

Shiro’s one hand fit perfectly around the bone of his hip, the other burned hot against his thigh. 

Without all their skin pressed together it was too cold. Matt was more desperate for warmth than he was embarrassed by the slick. 

“Come here.” Shiro’s fingers flexed digging in his skin just enough to feel. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

Shiro tugged him up the bed a little until he was lying between Matt’s thighs, one hand low on his back helping keep him close. Matt let himself sag down so he was laying across Shiro’s chest again this time with more space to manoeuvre. Kissing was good, they had mastered kissing. Shiro’s tongue pushing into his mouth while Matt got to work feeling up Shiro’s stacked chest. Tugging on firm little nipples had Shiro digging his fingers into Matt’s ass hard and arching his chest into the contact. 

Matt gasped, breaking the kiss. 

Shiro, genius Shiro, took a better grip of his ass, squeezing. 

Matt ducked his head so he could press his face against Shiro’s neck. The scent here was dizzying, not a smell you could put a finger on, but the biochemical knowledge that you could smell just how aroused someone else was. Shiro was so fucking turned on it was suffocating Matt with it, pheromones edging out oxygen for space in his lungs. 

Drunk on lust Matt mapped his way down Shiro’s rib cage, fingers bumping over the edges of his ribs and muscles. Firm stomach and narrow hips. Shiro was wet, the tip of his dick sliding across the edge of Matt’s palm while he blindly felt him out. 

Unable to help himself Matt braced his free hand on Shiro’s shoulder, knees in the mattress. This way he could hoist himself up and look down the damp space between their bodies to see his own hand on Shiro’s cock. Fuck. Matt whined high and tight in his throat, beyond being embarrassed by his own desperation. 

Shiro huffed out a chuckle. “Matt?” 

“Yeah. Uh.” Matt felt flushed down to the roots of his hair. That was his hand, which had never been small before looking tiny now, fingers wrapped around Shiro’s flushed dick. He was so wet, aching to be filled and terrified all in the same stifled breath. “That’s a lot.” 

“Thanks?” Shiro laughed, he flexed his hips, the head nudging along his palm to peek out at him and Matt almost overbalanced himself. 

“Yeah. No.” Matt looked down at Shiro, beginning to rock his own hips, dragging his swollen dick against Shiro’s solid thigh. “It’s good.” 

Good didn’t begin to describe the way his spine felt as if it had melted, settling low in his gut. It made the yearning emptiness worse. Shiro’s hands slowly slid down until his palms were curled around the curve of his butt. Matt purred loudly, startling himself. 

Shiro looked smug, lips curling as his fingers dug into the fleshy part of his ass making Matt gasp. Matt had to kiss him, if only to make Shiro stop looking at him like that. 

He had his tongue down Shiro’s throat, Shiro’s hands on his ass moving him into a filthy grind, when Shiro’s hands got cheeky. Matt broke the kiss with a moan, Shiro’s grip spread his cheeks, the shock of sensation overwhelmed him for a moment. 

“Fuck.” Matt hissed. 

Shiro kissed the side of his mouth, delicious abs clenching to bring himself into kissing range. Matt did a little push up, forcing Shiro to chase him. He did, just effortlessly pulled himself into a crunch, sucking Matt’s bottom lip into his mouth. It was really fucking hot. There was a star blazing inside of his chest and it was going to burn him to a crisp. 

“Please Shiro.” He begged, sagging, all his energy had gone into being embarrassed, into being nervous. Now he was just desperate.

Shiro paused for a moment, relaxing into the bed and looking up at him. Matt must have looked a fright but Shiro was giving him a heavy possessive look, as if he liked what he saw. 

Topping to the side happened in slow motion, Shiro moving in increments giving Matt every opportunity to stop him. 

Face down on the bed was a much safer. Matt shoved his face into the surprisingly fluffy blankets and barely managed to be embarrassed by the way he was so blatantly presenting. Ass up in the air, hips tilted and legs spread, begging to get fucked. Filled and knotted. 

“Doing okay?” 

Shiro spoke into his thigh, nipping with sharp teeth and soothing the sting with his tongue. Matt was too busy trying to asphyxiate himself on the bedding to answer with anything but a strangled moan. 

Despite the leading touches, the way Shiro kissed along the small of his back and hips, fingers carefully toying with the soft skin at the tops of his thighs it came as a surprise when the tip of Shiro’s finger toyed with his opening. 

Matt groaned, probably strained something trying to push up into the touch. He was probably soaked, sopping wet with his natural slick, begging with his whole body for Shiro to just fucking breed him already. Shiro tried to shush him, murmuring soft sweet things against his hip. Matt was inconsolable, he didn’t have a point of reference for the sheer mindless want. 

Shiro’s thick finger sinking into him set off a small seismic event in his stomach. 

“There’s a boy.” Shiro hummed, sucking a mark into the top curve of his ass. He probably had a good view of his finger sliding into Matt, the slick that made the space between his thighs feel damp and too-hot. “That’s not too bad is it?” 

Matt whined, he physically couldn’t hitch his hips higher, swaying the best he could, feeling the thickest part of Shiro’s finger tugging at his rim with the movement. It was addictive, he was so sensitive there. The second finger felt like it was tearing him open, flayed open where Shiro had him pinned with two fingers sliding wetly inside him. 

“Please.” Matt begged, words garbled by blanket. 

“Just a bit more sweety.” 

The first lick of Shiro’s tongue around his fingers had him shouting. He clenched on reflex and that was better, Shiro’s fingers feeling huge for a flare of sensation. Wet heat, tongue flicking along his fingers, Shiro’s face trying to fit awkwardly between his thighs with his hand. Matt would have complained when Shiro’s fingers slipped out of him but Shiro licked right into the molten core of him. 

Matt almost screamed, tongue fucking into him, wet and mobile, flicking at the rim before pressing in deeper. Shiro’s loud rumbling filled the room, he was acting like he wanted to suck all the slick out of him, lick and lick until Matt’s body couldn’t make any more. 

A hand on his dick startled him. Between one breath and the next he was right at the edge. Hitting escape velocity, gravity being left behind. He probably did scream. He wasn’t aware of anything but the way his body was trying to twist itself inside out. 

He came back to Shiro slipping a third finger into him. 

Matt had collapsed at some point and Shiro fallowed him down, a warm living blanket along one side and three thick fingers pressing inside of him. 

“Good?” Shiro’s voice rasped, deep and rumbly straight from his chest into Matt’s shoulder where he was plastered. 

Matt garbled something muffled by the blanket. He’d come his brains out but it did nothing for the deep empty yawning, it wasn’t enough. Three fingers weren’t enough either, he was greedy for cock. 

“More?” Shiro asked, digging his teeth into the thickness of Matt’s shoulder.

Matt spat out the blanket, lifting his chest just enough to curse, “fucking fuck.” 

Shiro’s fingers twisted, pushing in deeper with a wet sound and Matt shrieked, face planting again as his toes curled helplessly into the bedding. He wasn’t sure, but it felt like Shiro was trying to spread his fingers apart, stretching him to make space for his alarmingly large dick inside of Matt. He’d never wanted anything more. 

“Please.” Matt hissed, twisting to try and get his knees under him again. 

Mostly he flopped around uncoordinated when Shiro pulled back. 

Shiro was unfairly attractive. Flushed all the way down his chest to his stomach. Dark hair leading to his hard dick. Matt stared as it jerked with a minute flex of Shiro’s hips. The tip looked wet, angled head with a flared base that marked him as an Alpha. His eyes were huge and black, staring at Matt like he wanted to eat him alive. 

Instinct had him tipping his head back, legs falling apart. Throat exposed, belly exposed. He needed to entice Shiro, get him closer. Shiro snarled. Matt didn’t have time to brace but Shiro wasn’t trying to crush him, just get closer. 

“Please please please.” Matt mumbled against Shiro’s mouth, his chin, his cheeks. Shiro’s face was still tacky with Matt’s own slick but Matt didn’t care. “Fuck me Shiro, please.” 

Shiro groaned. For a moment it seemed like he wasn’t going to listen, just rutting his hips into Matt’s stomach. “Matt.” Shiro growled against his nose. 

“Yes.” 

Shiro’s hands fit around his thighs perfectly, arranging them around his hips so he was tilted open. So very close to getting everything he needed. Matt grabbed at the blankets to anchor him to something. One of Shiro’s big arms slipped under his back, holding him up, thighs spread obscenely. Matt watched Shiro, his shoulders straining and chest heaving with every stuttered breath. Shiro was staring down his own body. The blunt tip of Shiro’s cock bumping against him, just stretching the rim. 

Matt whined high and tight, pulling the bedding in towards them. 

Shiro slid inside of him, and in and in. It went on forever until he was hiccupping, barely able to breath around the stretch, deeper and fuller than his fingers. 

“Breathe.” Shiro grunted. “Breathe Matt.” 

Their eyes met, Shiro’s dark and wild like he was just as lost as Matt, barely restraining himself. 

“I—” Matt hissed. Shiro pulled out, friction sliding down his thighs and up his spine all at once. He rocked forward going a bit deeper. He was stretching out Matt’s insides on the thick head of his cock. Matt arched in Shiro’s hold taking more. 

“Tight.” Shiro grunted when Matt met his eyes. 

He didn’t have words. Thoughts scattered to the wind when Shiro pulled that trick again, rocking in and out softly, deeper each time. Time stretched out, impossibly as he was slowly and surely stuffed full of Shiro’s cock. Each time he thought that had to be it Shiro rocked deeper into him and Matt gasped, trying to breathe with Shiro. 

Shiro was trying to shush him again, kissing his face, petting down his chest with his free hand. Matt took a shuddering breath in, he felt so full he could almost feel it in his throat. 

“There, that’s it. You’re doing so good.” 

When Matt opened his eyes Shiro was blurry and too close. Matt pulled him closer and shoved his tongue into his mouth sloppily, trying to give back a little of what he was feeling. Knees hiked up high around Shiro’s narrow waist. 

“Shiro.” He moaned wetly into his mouth. They shared humid air, barely enough space between them to make it work. “Oh god.” 

“Okay?” Shiro asked.

Shiro pulled back loomed over him, huge and gorgeous and everything that Matt needed or he was going to crawl out of his skin. 

“I’m so full.” Matt moaned softly.

Shiro huffed, he pulled Matt a little closer, hips sitting flush in the cradle of Shiro’s and Matt’s mouth fell open. 

“Yeah, you are.” Shiro sounded awed, like maybe he was surprised he’d fit inside Matt too. 

Matt whined, toes flexing in the air uselessly. It was too much but he also needed more. This time Shiro didn’t wait for Matt to ask, he pulled back gently, pressing in deep. He moved like the tide, smooth and utterly unstoppable. 

It only took a few moments of this for Matt to start babbling, one hand shifting to fist in his own hair. “Oh god Shiro yes. You’re fucking me. Shiro. Please. Please.” It didn’t make a lot of sense, words tripping out of his mess in a confused jumble. 

Shiro just grunted, shifting his grip so he was holding Matt’s hips up with both hands, keeping his back arched so he could slide in deep, bottoming out for endless seconds before he restarted the whole process. 

He was so easy for the thick press of Shiro’s dick in his pussy. His stomach tingling and tightening already. 

“Need to come again?” 

“Yes please, I’m close and I need it. I think I’m dying.” 

Shiro shifted them around, pushed one of Matt’s legs over his shoulder instead forcing his body open wider. Like there was more he could possibly take. But there was. Shiro nailing him deep and hard. Matt shouted, eyes pressed shut tight overwhelmed by sensation. 

Shiro was really fucking him now. Each drive of Shiro’s hips made it impossible to breathe, heart jackhammering against his ribs. To do more than hold on pray he’d survive this. Being in heat left him sensitized, fingertips rubbing harshly over the head of his swollen dick had him coming hard. 

Orgasm slammed through him.

Shiro whined, biting down on his bottom lip as he continued to fuck him through it and straight out the other side. Matt jolted and shuddered mouth working soundlessly as he just tried to breathe. 

With superhuman will Shiro stopped. He was panting hard into the knee Matt had slung over his shoulder. Skin glowed with sweat and the sweet blush of exertion. 

“Can I?” 

Matt nodded, flexing the knee Shiro was nuzzling to bring him in closer, let him know that Matt still wasn’t done. 

Matt whined when Shiro pulled out, distressed. “I’m going to knot soon, it’ll be easier. Flip.” 

Matt managed to roll onto his stomach, getting his knees and elbows under him to brace himself just in time for Shiro to slide back in. He was so soaked it made a wet slap when Shiro’s thighs hit his, but it also made the silky slide all that much sweeter.

He’d seen knotting porn and there was no way Shiro was going to be able to fit anything else inside of him, not when his dick was already pressed in further than Matt could have ever imagined. Matt wanted it desperately. He begged and moaned, trying to fuck himself on Shiro’s cock until hands held his hips steady. 

Shiro was speaking, but Matt was too focused on trying to get fucked to care. 

The extra pressure didn’t even register at first on top of the sensory cascade. 

Then it really did. 

Matt cried out, digging his nails into Shiro’s arm where it was braced by his shoulder, clinging to that point of contact. The extra tug on his rim where Shiro’s knot was beginning to pop almost too much. Being pried open had never felt so good. 

Matt was almost sobbing by the time Shiro wasn’t able to pull out anymore. He was so full it was all he could think about. There was nothing except the ceaseless press of Shiro’s knot. No Galra, no danger, nothing but getting fucked. 

Shiro shouted, hips twitching in jerky little motions as he finally began to come. 

Matt sagged against the bedding, purring as Shiro came inside of him. 

He was half-hard when Shiro found his dick, broad palm rubbing blindly. In shock Matt clenched down on Shiro’s knot setting off an electrical storm of endorphins and synapses. Shiro moaned, hips jerking uselessly and setting off the chain reaction again. 

Matt’s third orgasm was weaker, gasping shakily as he twitched and clenched down on Shiro’s knot. 

They were not graceful as they tipped side ways. Shiro was boneless and Matt had been fucked into a pliant puddle. 

He was still stuffed full of dick and the jostling had him whimpering softly clinging to the hand Shiro had on his belly. 

Shiro would keep coming for awhile, kicking out little spurts of come until Matt was stuffed with it. Shiro panted against his hair and Matt drifted. The occasional flex of Shiro’s hips slamming him back into his body with a startled squeak. 

“Good?” Shiro grunted, barely managing to round the letters out enough to make a word. 

“Yeah.” 

Matt let Shiro manoeuvre them so he was lying more flat, and Shiro was angled over him, giving him enough room to suck lazy hickeys into Matt’s shoulders. 

\--

Sharing that had broken something between them. Broke the professional distance between them. Not enough time for the taboo of being unbonded Omega and Alpha to settle between them. 

When they slept in the communal cells it was with Matt plastered to Shiro’s back despite the heat. He kept Matt against the wall, trying to keep himself between Matt and any threat. Matt would have disagreed under normal circumstances but hurtling through space as prisoners on an alien ship, worried sick about his Dad, about his _whole fucking planet_ , was an exceptional circumstance. He took comfort in Shiro’s fussing, in his Alpha protective streak, in the way he didn’t mind pressing into Matt’s space if he needed too. 

Polite distance had been obliterated with a truly alarming amount of bodily fluids swapped. Shiro seemed more settled when Matt was within reaching distance, tucked safe against Shiro. 

“I’d probably trade my left arm for a milkshake.” Shiro whined, braced back against the wall. 

Shiro’s legs were stretched out next to Matt’s, ratty thin-soled flight booties side by side. Shiro’s feet were a lot bigger than his. “What would you give for two?” 

Shiro groaned, “anything, absolutely anything.” 

“Even a Mic’ Dick’s? That’s not even milk.” Matt pulled a face. His mom made amazing milk shakes. One day he was going to feed one to Shiro just to see that dumb blissed look on his face. 

“Especially those, dip the fries in it. Sweet and salty.” Shiro looked like he was already salivating just talking about it. 

“That’s revolting.”

Out in space Shiro was all he had. The other prisoners had learned to keep their distance. 

They swapped stupid stories, little things no one would think about missing from home. Shiro missed the smell of fresh laundry, making his bed in perfect military corners. Matt missed keyboards, the clicky-clack of a good coding session. 

They avoided talking about anything bigger than that. 

Later, he’d wonder if that made it better or worse when the guard caught him unaware, dragging him towards the door. The ever-present threat of the fights on the other side. 

Shiro roared as he rushed them, everything happening too fast for Matt to follow. Burning pain in his leg shocking him into motion.

Shiro didn’t say anything when he looked at Matt lying on the ground more shocked than hurt. Instead Shiro had tried to smile for him, it was more like an animal snarl, baring his teeth when cornered. Then Shiro was gone. 

 

 **6**

“This way.” 

Te-Osh towered around the locals, it was kind of funny. 

The hotel was nice enough, weird pods he slid into to sleep. 

“Aren’t you tired, we’ve not stopped in,” days? Weeks? “awhile.” Time wasn’t measured the same, and honestly Matt had likely lost a little time in there somewhere. 

“We can stay for a bit, then we must go. We are needed.” 

Te-Osh had commit her whole life to the Rebellion without a second thought, without even a glance at what her life could have been. Her focus was unwavering, conviction more than enough for two. It helped Matt through the days. 

He didn’t care for the rebellion. He hated the Galra. 

He’d fallen in with them because there hadn’t really been a second choice. Dad was gone, he was somewhere in space, and Shiro was gone to fight to the death against bigger, stronger creatures. The Captain sitting in his cells, pretending to slum it like the rest of them had given him a chitinous hand over the rubble. 

With no other options and, a need for tech and a burning hatred for the Galra the rebellion seemed as logical choice as marooning himself on any other space rock. 

His new communications array changed things. For him and Te-Osh. For the Rebels overall. It gave them the smallest edge. A stone in the hand when facing a giant. 

“I love the Millennium Falcon, but this is nice.” 

Te-Osh gave him that blank look she always did when he insisted on giving a name to their ship. A ship was an object it didn’t have an anima that required a naming ceremony. Still. It was the Millennium Falcon, because Matt was stuck in space and he was going to be stuck on the _god-damn_ Millennium Falcon. 

“Space to move, space to stretch my legs.” 

“Those little things?” 

Matt gave her an affronted look from behind his cloak. They looked like a mother walking with her child. He carried a cut off version of a Vreak fighting pole that she’d cobbled together for him. 

“Rude.” 

She clicked her tongue in what passed for a sign of amusement. 

He stumbled over something, distracted by a weird _’bird’_ passing close to his face. He stumbled into Te-Osh catching her off guard. 

The energy beam shot over where her head would have been. Te-Osh turned the stumble into a roll and Matt dodged to the side, pulling his staff around in front. Adrenaline flooded through him, slipping into a defensive stance. It was a mix between Garrison self-defence style and the moves Te-Osh had painfully drilled into his head. 

“Verla Te-Osh Al’Gha, Matt Holt.” 

“Wrong human.” Matt grinned at the giant lizard woman. 

Te-Osh swung her pole around in a low menacing arc, motions smooth from years of practice. The few other citizens wandering around the remote trading outpost scattered to the wind unwilling or uninterested. 

“I think not Matt. Four limbs, mostly hairless, soft and fleshy.” 

_Ruuuude._

“Okay fine, guilty as charged.” Matt rolled his eyes, keeping attention on her. “Now, what did you want?” 

“Money, a lot of money. There is quite a bounty on you.” 

“Oh yeah-- that.” 

He managed to deflect the shot with the flatter edge of his staff, the energy deflecting field embedded in the side panelling sizzling to life. 

He blocked three more shots the same way. The fourth stunning his hands, a projectile instead of energy and a clever ruse. Matt hadn’t been braced for the impact a stumbled backwards nearly braining himself with his own weapon. Te-Osh rushed forwards when the bounty hunter lunged forward at him, cutting her off with a vicious stab half way using Matt as a distraction. 

They fell into a quick flurry of blows. Despite her size lizard woman was fast. Her movements jerky but whip quick. Her style of was difficult to predict. Te-Osh was holding her own just barely. 

Matt looked around for something to help. It was pretty clear rushing her wasn’t going to help. A large rock just to his left. 

Matt swung low, kicking it up into the air at the two. Lizard woman turned to him, flinching at the crack of his staff against the rock even if it didn’t fly up at her the way she wanted. 

Te-Osh wrapped her staff around the lizard’s middle, pivoting her long lanky body so the lizard’s weight was lifted and tumbled over her tall form with a resounding crack when she hit the ground. Te-Osh followed through with a crack across her face with her staff to make sure she stayed down. 

“We must go.” 

“Yup.” Matt took off at a dead run after her.

They paused outside the ship docking yard. Tucked away in what looked more like a yurt than a shed yet clearly functioned as a shed like many on any planet Matt had visited. 

“No one was supposed to know we were here.” Matt panted, having had to work hard to keep pace with her long bug-like legs. 

“It’s bad.” She agreed. 

Matt had accidentally drawn a huge target on his head. Like a really, really big and expensive one. Te-Osh had been doing everything she could to keep him safe and out of the hands of some really bad people. If they had been found here then someone in the rebellion must have given them away. 

Matt was the only one who could use his expanded communications array with the constant flux of changing encryption that made it impossible to trace back, improved now that it didn’t flare up like a fucking ‘come kill me’ beacon to the Galra. 

A mind that loved puzzles, fit together pieces of data until patterns formed. Had kept him at the top of his engineering class at the Garrison and currently made him most wanted by space pirates. They had been running a slave smuggling ring with help from the Galra. And him, as the architect of their fall they seemed to be pretty pissed at Matt. 

“The Rebellion isn’t safe.” Matt said, they watched as a car shot by their yurt heading straight where their ship was parked. 

“Not for you.” She agreed. 

 

**8**

“I hoped, but every day it just seemed less likely.” 

Matt stared hard out at the expanse of space that they drifted through. It wasn’t really glass so he didn’t have a reflection. 

“It was lonely.” Matt admit. Worse some days after he’d retreated to the meteor alone. 

Sam wrapped his arm around his son’s shoulder and pulled him tight against his side. Matt smiled, resting his head on his Dad’s shoulder for a moment, taking a few seconds to just appreciate that his Dad was alive. 

“How did you escape?” 

Matt laughed. “Chance. After they took Shiro I was locked in with a captured rebel captain passing as a regular kidnapped schmuck. They broke him out and took me with them.” 

“I see.” 

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Matt tipping his head back to watch the stars float by. They would need to talk soon. He hadn’t talked about it with Pidge yet either but he didn’t think she was going to give up Voltron. 

Where did he belong, safe back on earth with the Garrison? Or was it out here, pick up where Te-Osh had left off in the fight with the Galra. Up here with Katie like they had always said as kids, being starmen. 

“That day I had hoped Shiro would be able to protect you. Seems like it worked out somehow.” 

Matt laughed, awkward. “Somehow.”

The universe was filled with infinite possibilities and he’d fucked Shiro for two days in an alien prison like a bad Star Trek porn and now Shiro had brought his sister out into space. Correction, she’d rescued Shiro, then took off out into space to rescue Matt and Dad next. Shiro just happened to be along for the ride. 

“How did you know they would take you?” 

Sam shrugged, faux casual. “They were taking scientists, once I played my hand by hacking the door codes and giving away I spoke Galra they would take interest-- enough to bargain for you.”

Matt flushed, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the gleaming floor. “You shouldn’t have done that. Mom would be pissed you put yourself in danger.” 

“She’s going to be mad that she’s back on earth while the rest of us got to study real xenobiology. I met a guy who could spit acid. Acid!” Sam made a spitting gesture. 

“Pissed.” Matt agreed drawing out the vowel sounds annoyingly. She was going to strangle him when she stopped crying. Matt hoped she was okay, that Tesla was there to help her. That she hadn’t killed anyone in an attempt to find Pidge. If she was in prison who was going to feed Tesla? 

“So.” Sam drawled. 

Matt knew that tone. Every child knew that tone. He stared harder at the nothingness of space and refused to answer. 

“What about Shiro?” 

Matt tried not to blush. Probably failed pretty obviously. “What about Shiro?” He parroted. 

“You and him, you know, studying biology.” 

“Dad!” 

“What, how do you think I wooed your mother?” 

Matt whirled around to stare at him horrified, hands coming up to shield his eyes from the mental image.“ _Oh my god._ Please stop speaking.”

Samuel began to laugh. Matt couldn’t quite fight the smile trying to break through a furious blush. 

“Okay okay, I won’t ask.” Sam agreed.

“Good.” 

He didn’t quite want to acknowledge the cartwheels his stomach did when Shiro was too close. Not out loud to his Dad, probably almost less than he wanted to discuss that his Dad had bargained for a place for his son to share his heat with their pilot. 

Still maybe Sam was seeing something when Matt thought he was being super casual and not weird. 

 

 **3**

“Can I sit?” 

Shiro looked up from his cafeteria meal with a blank stare. For a moment it seemed he didn’t recognize Matt before he smiled and cleared his tablet from the seat across from him. 

“Yes? I’m Takashi, but everyone just calls me Shiro.”

“Man, I know who you are.” Matt laughed, “you hold all the top scores on the sims.” Shiro smiled at him, grabbing his water to sip from trying not to look a little smug. Matt slid into the empty seat, setting his tray down. 

“And you’re commander Holt’s son.” He tipped his glass towards Matt. 

“Yup.” Matt popped his ‘P’.

“What can I do for you?” 

“Honestly?” Matt blinked at him, “Dad seems nice and all, but if I fail the emergency landing sim and flunk out of flying for engineers he’s going to have a conniption, worse he’ll tell mom. So I figured since I’ve clearly not figured it out with official help I should turn to the best.” 

Shiro laughed, rubbing at his neck. It was kind of easy to see why the garrison had a collective hard-on for the guy. 

Everyone at the Garrison knew Shiro. He was tall and broad and classically handsome in a way that just wasn’t fair for other mere mortals to compete with. He outstripped his classmates with pure intuitive skill when it came to flying. Pure hard work and driven dedication ensured he was better at everyone else in everything else too. A bit bookish honestly, but a CV to kill for.

“Yeah, sure. I’d love to help.” 

“Really?” Matt tried to hide his shock by stuffing steamed broccoli into his mouth. 

“Yeah, what days are you free?”

\--

Honestly Matt wasn’t that bad at flying. Still, under Shiro’s patient tutelage he’d made leaps and bounds. ‘Patience yields focus’ was a favourite phrase of him when Matt’s attention scattered to all the different alerts. 

“Want to go into town after? The theater is showing the original Star Wars.” 

Matt’s eyes went huge, “Do I ever.” 

Shiro grinned at him, wide and boyish. “Good, I’ll drive.” 

\--

Katie was at school and Colleen was at work. Sam was cooking them lunch. Grilled cheese with tomato soup. About the height of Sam’s culinary abilities. 

“So?” 

“I like him.” 

“Really?” Sam looked over his shoulder with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah. He’s surprisingly normal.”

Sam snorted. “Normal?” 

“Not what I expected.” Shiro came from a long line of military, by all means he should have been stuck up. Should have been the hyper-focused Alpha male archetype. Only he wasn’t at all. Shiro led by example with a quiet strength that made people want to impress him. He was a natural leader. “I think he’d be a good fit for the mission.” 

They would spend two months just in transit there, let alone when they reached Kerberos. It was more than just needing a pilot with good stats in a sim mission. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay?” 

“I trust your judgement.” Sam slid the grilled cheese in front of him, cut into fingers instead of triangles the way he’d eaten them when he was a kid. “If you think he’s good for the mission I’ll bring it up at the next meeting to cut pilot candidates.” 

Samuel Holt was technically the only one selected for the Kerberos mission as this was the culmination of a career and scientific dream. Picking another communications engineer candidate was just a formality, given his own son was one of the short listed. Arguably the best too. Sam probably wouldn’t have picked him just to have his son there if Matt wasn’t so smart. 

“He prefers Star Wars over Star Trek.” 

Sam made a face and Matt laughed. 

Kerberos was going to be amazing. Pushing science as far as they could into space. Go where no man had gone before. 

“Also he helped me get top rank in flying for non-pilot personnel.” 

“A saint too?”

“What do you mean by that?” Matt spoke through a mouthful of sandwich.

“I remember teaching you to drive.” 

Matt scowled, “Mom taught me to drive.” Dad had refused quite early into their lessons. It had been pretty traumatizing for both of them. 

“I know, but she’s a goddess.”

 

 **10**

“Katie?” 

His flight suit felt too tight, his lungs weren’t working correctly. “Pidge, answer me.” 

She remained silent, slumped forward in the pilot seat like a marionette. 

Matt scrambled at his harness fingers numb with terror. 

He didn’t know what hit them but Pidge had started screaming, he could hear the echo of it from the other paladins over the comms in her helmet. All five of them as one. 

An explosion rocked Green and Matt staggered into the low bulkhead banging his shoulder off of it. The attack hadn’t stopped, all five lions hanging limp in space like shooting fish in a barrel.

A voice crackled over the comms, unfamiliar, “Shiro? Anyone come in what’s happening? The cruiser is firing on the rebel ship!” 

“Keith?” Matt made an educated guess, “this is Matt.” 

“Pidges’ brother?” 

“Yeah.” Matt knelt in front of her, lifting the helmet off her lolling head. Eyes open but glassy, she blinked slowly looking right through him. Her pulse was too-fast, sweat sticking to his fingers where he’d shoved it down the high collar of her armour to check. 

“The cruiser is attacking the rebel ship.” 

Matt cursed under his breath. Katie was limp in his arms as he shook her, no reaction at all. She wasn’t seeing him, she wasn’t even there. 

“Some sort of purple light hit them and now Pidge is down, she’s awake but she’s not responding.” 

There was a long pause on the other side, followed by a muffled explosion, Keith breathing hard. “Probably magic.” 

Of course. Magic. Space magic. Why didn’t he think of that. 

“Where did the beam come from?” 

“One of the smaller ships, I’ll send you the frequency ID, it’s flagged.” He spent a lot of time analyzing movement patterns in between working the auxiliary functions in the green lion for Pidge. 

“On it.” 

The line clicked off as another explosion rocked their ship, Green dead in the water and taking damage. Blue floated just beyond the view screen, gold eyes shining but not moving. 

“Shit.” Matt said low with conviction. They were going to get demolished. The rebel scientists were going to die in a fireball with the rest of that ship. One of the drone ships flew directly into Blue with a huge explosion, sending it spinning out of visual range. 

The lion itself seemed fine, all the interior lights were online, just waiting for Pidge to take control and make her dance through the carnage outside. 

“Fucking fuck. Please Pidge wake up.” He shook her again, pinched one of her cheeks and she just blinked slowly, mouth hanging open and beginning to drool. Absolutely nothing. 

He looked around desperately. Nothing to use, nothing to help. Just him and Green. The controls were locked when he tugged at them. Still, maybe. 

She was heavier than he remembered, taller mass converted from baby fat to useable muscle mass. He’d seen her fight, small and whip quick making up for what she lacked in size with her mind. Still, her armour made it even harder to lever her out of the pilot seat in the cramped confines of the cockpit. He collapsed against the controls Pidge cradled to his chest. Once she was up it was easier to her into the back seat they’d cobbled together for Matt. 

“Come on Katie. I’ve got a plan, but it isn’t going to work and I need you to wake up and tell me I’m being dumb.” 

He buckled her in. Breathing hard and bracing as he saw another flight of the little drone fliers coming at Green. Splitting fire between rebel forces and Voltron was probably the only think keeping them alive. 

Matt slid into the pilot seat. Pidge was smaller than him, knees pulled up at an awkward angle. 

“Green, Pidge says you’re a girl. That you can hear and you can feel.” He felt kind of dumb talking out loud, the way she described it was more of a ‘knowing’ less than a single awareness and comprehension. “Please listen to me. We need to move.” 

Nothing happened. Matt balled his fists, face flushed. Something hit their side and the whole lion shuddered with the impact. 

“Please!” Matt shouted his voice echoed in his own ears. 

He loved Pidge, she’d come out to a dirty rock on the very edge of the galaxy to get him. He probably loved Shiro. He still needed to kick the Galra directly in the ambiguous reproductive organs. 

The controls hummed under his hands. Not static but the same sensation, power thrumming along his finger tips and up his arms. Awareness hummed through him, something ancient watching him. This time when he pushed the controls he just knew that Green was going to move. 

He’d watched Pidge do this. The shape of the lion was inherently different than the pods they were taught to drive, multifocal thrust points rather than a centralized power unit. 

Green leapt forwards, jaw open catching the wing of a flier and sending it spiralling into another one. It wasn’t the graceful dance he had seen the lions perform before, raining destruction as they saw fit but they were moving. 

The drone fliers turned on him in unison, speeding after the moving target rather then the stationary ones. Matt hummed in satisfaction pulling the lion into a tight spiral. Once, a long time ago he’d pulled that move in the sim and Shiro had rolled his eyes, you’re not going to throw anyone off that way. Matt wasn’t trying to throw them off. 

Not that he really knew how to use the weapons systems. Turning on a dime he rammed another one. 

He wasn’t going to be able to fight a whole fleet like this. 

Cutting a tight circle he passed towards the bulk of the fleet hoping the drone subroutines wouldn’t be quick enough not to hit each other in the chaos. They took the occasional beam shot, alerts flaring to life in rapid Altean. He had to focus past them, twisting and turning through space. 

An alarm went off on his communication array in the back. The flagship was charging its main cannon. 

Matt shot out, heading in the opposite direction. Alerts flared, the ship was targeted on him. 

He panicked, hands clammy on the controls. The lion was sturdy but he wasn’t sure it could take a direct hit--

He didn’t need to choose, a smaller ship rammed him, hard in the side and they spun through the air. The cannon shot by them so close Matt imagined the heat flashing across his skin. 

“Pidge, I need you to keep them occupied.” Keith’s voice crackled over the comms.

“Still me.” Matt said, surprised when his voice didn’t shake given the way his heart was quivering in his rib cage. “I’ll try but Shiro had a hell of a time teaching me to fly and I have no idea what I’m doing.” 

“Okay.” 

As the little ship zipped away Matt could see that one of the wings was streaming fuel and debris. It was by pure luck that the hull integrity of Keith’s ship survived the force needed to ram the lion out of the line of fire. A line of fliers turned on it. 

“Green, you’re going to need to help me out girl.” Matt murmured to her. 

A green slot opened up and Matt just stared at it blankly mind whirling. He remembered seeing her do this once. He leapt out of the seat to grab the beyard from Pidge, and plunged it into the opening just as a flier was coming right at him. It exploded into a ball of wood, knocking into two others. 

“Yeah, something like that.” 

Matt had no choice but to try and keep the fleet busy and trust Keith to have some sort of plan. He tried to keep them distracted, keep out of main cannon range of the flag ship. 

The Red lion flashed by him, pulling a tight loop and turning towards him, gold eyes glowing. “Follow me, we’re going after that ship.” 

Matt nodded and pushed the controls forward. 

\--

“Dude, I can’t believe you just dumped me on the floor like that and Red just let you.” Lance whined, giving Red a betrayed stare. 

“She likes me more.” Keith shrugged, stating a fact. 

“Cold.” Lance sniffed. 

“Thank you Keith, you saved my brain.” Keith mimicked in a high pitched tone at him and Hunk snorted, elbowing Lance hard in the ribs. 

“He’s got you there, if he hadn’t hijacked the Red Lion we’d all be space vegetables still.” 

“I helped.” Matt crossed his arms with a pout. 

“That you did, we can’t thank you enough.” Allura smiled at him and Matt flushed. She was absurdly pretty. Like. It was unfair to have concentrated all the beauty in the galaxy right there. 

“For you princess, anything.” Matt said graciously, Lances glare sliding over to him instead. 

They stood in the hanger, the protective shadow of five lions circled around them and their respective pilots. 

“All the same I’d rather not do that again.” Matt declared. Still awed by Green as she stood there, eyes dark and powered down but still thrumming in his mind. She’d answered him when he needed her and he would always have that. 

“Still can’t stabilize a barrel roll?” Shiro arched one sly eyebrow at him. Like he hadn’t been drooling all over the inside of his cockpit during the whole fight. 

Matt scowled. “That was a cargo ship simulator. It wasn’t supposed to be able to do a barrel roll.” 

“Oh that one? With the canyon landing? I did two.” Keith replied and Matt blew out an annoyed breath. 

“Pilots. I know right? Can’t live with them, can’t form a giant space-cat robot without them.” Hunk held his hands of despairingly and Pidge offered a fist out for a bump. 

\--

“I was dreaming I was drowning in green goo.” Hunk said sadly, he was sipping on a milk shake. “I almost didn’t want my victory snack.” 

Lance eyed the mound of whipped green goo with green goo biscuits but said nothing. 

“I dreamt I was stupid.” Pidge added sadly. 

“Wicked cool that Matt can pilot Green though.” Hunk smiled. “He just keeps getting cooler, like a taller more awesome Pidge.” 

“Excuse you.” She sniffed, tapping away at her tablet. 

Keith was on his third milkshake, single-minded focus on his creamy dessert. “It really helped having him there to draw fire.” 

“He said you rammed him with a ship.” Pidge looked at Keith curiously, eyes wide behind her glasses. He looked away, stabbing his spoon into his milkshake to deflect attention. Lance looked up at the sound of the spoon on the glass, everyone focused on Keith. 

Eventually he just shrugged. “It was nothing.” 

“You need to stop doing that.” She clicked her tongue at him and Keith flushed pink, scowling. “There’s a scary and very bad thing, I’m going to poke it with a stick.” 

“Nice reference.” 

Pidge high-fived Lance without looking. 

Keith stuck his spoon in his mouth looking down at the table, he looked like he was trying to find words so they all stayed quiet. As a unit they were well used to the way Keith could get when he was trying to actually say something. Hunk looked over at Lance who arched both eyes and looked to Pidge who shook her head minutely. 

“It was Matt.” He said finally. “Shiro is family, and Matt is – yeah.” 

Yeah.

Hunk and Lance nodded, Pidge made that gagging face she did any time they began to gossip about her brother and his not-relationship with Shiro. 

“So,” Hunk said slowly, frown creasing between his eyebrows, “if Shiro is space Dad does that make Matt space Mom?” 

“What. No. He can’t be my brother and my Mom.” Pidge yelped. 

“Besides, we all know Coran is space Mom.” Lance added with a tone of finality. 

Keith choked on his milkshake. 

 

 **9**

“Katie, take care of Matt.” He said seriously, clapping her on the shoulders as she looked up at him. “Matt, take care of Katie.” He turned, tugged in his son by hooking him around the neck until the three of them were smooched together in a hug. Katie laughed, a little wet. That was fine, Matt was already crying. 

The though of their Mom, sitting all alone in their house, he missed her so bad it hurt. He couldn’t just walk away. He wasn’t a paladin, but his place was out here with Katie, with Shiro. Their Dad hadn’t liked to hear that but he was still proud of them, all grown up and saving the galaxy. 

“Takeshi Shirogane.” Shiro’s back went rod-straight in a moment, eyes snapping to attention. Samuel smiled like he’d expected that. “You take care of both of them you hear?” 

“Yes sir.” 

Shiro blushed. 

 

 **12**

“Hey, handsome,” Matt laughed, he had Shiro pressed up against the wall in the gym. Shiro was looking down at him, dark eyes and black lashes. Still too gorgeous by half. The scar marred the symmetry of his face giving him less of a boy next door and more of a rouge-like appeal. Matt was hard pressed to pick a favourite. 

“Hey yourself.” 

Shiro dipped his head to brush their noses together while Matt angled for a kiss. 

Matt wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck fingers sliding across sweaty skin, tipping his head up demanding a kiss. Shiro kissed the corner of his mouth softly, his arms around Matt’s waist holding him close. 

“Kiss me.” Matt demanded, trying to pull Shiro closer. 

“Make me.” Shiro laughed, pressing a smacking kiss to his cheek, right over the edge of the scar. 

When they trained together it always ended this way. Sweaty Shiro was just too much temptation, glistening skin and thick muscles. His scent was stronger too, Alpha male trying to show off for a potential mate, strutting his stuff. 

Matt switched his grip so he was holding Shiro’s face between his palms and tipped upwards to kiss him. This time Shiro let him kiss, lips brushing together softly for a moment, just a little hello how are you. 

Shiro hummed with a smile. “You make a persuasive argument.” When he spoke his breath fanned across Matt’s lips, when Matt licked across his own lip he caught Shiro’s too. 

“I do my best.” 

Shiro’s arms tightened for a moment in a hug, then he slid his hands to Matt’s hips. Palms warm against the sweaty skin at the band of his training pants. 

Matt cut him off with another kiss before Shiro could continue being ridiculous. Matt’s heart couldn’t stand it, when Shiro brushed kisses against his nose or told bad jokes Matt fell a little more in love with him as impossible as it seemed each time. There should be a limit, you should only be able love someone so much. Shiro kissed him again, deep and searching, tongue pressing into Matt’s mouth wetly. Matt’s toes curled in his shoes, heart fluttering in his chest, another limit passed. 

Matt hummed, letting one kiss slip into the next. Resting together to breath for a moment, quick snatches before they were kissing again. Shiro’s hands roamed all over his back, groping his sides, sliding down to give a fond squeeze of his ass and upper thighs. 

Matt’s own hands found purchase on Shiro’s shoulders, sliding across his neck, shoulders anything he could reach without needing to peel himself off of Shiro’s chest. 

Shiro leaned back on the wall, slipping down a bit so Matt was in the splay of his thighs and this way they were closer to the same height. 

Anyone could walk in on them like this, so wrapped up in each other that Matt felt lightheaded, drunk on Shiro. Shiro clutching him close, like even the slivers of space between them offended him. Shiro’s hair was soft and thick between his fingers, heat and sweat trapped against his skull soothing against Matt’s palms as he pet him. 

Shiro made a rumble of pleasure breaking the kiss so he could press his wet and swollen lips across Matt’s cheek bones. Matt began to purr, less embarrassed about it given Shiro’s blatant joy every time he could make Matt purr. 

Matt tugged at Shiro’s hair, trying to get his mouth down where he wanted. Shiro bit at the edge of his jaw, just enough to startle. Matt’s hands tightened in his hair, Shiro straining against the hold to press his face against Matt’s neck, pulling Matt up on his toes with hands dug into his ass so he could reach with his mouth. 

“You always smell so good.” Shiro sighed, damp against Matt’s neck. He shivered. 

“We’re in the gym, you have really inappropriate turn-ons.” Matt laughed. Shiro playfully growled at him and nipped at his skin threatening to leave a mark. Smacking kisses pressed down towards his shoulder until Shiro couldn’t reach anymore and Matt was tugging at his hair with a laugh. 

“You think the armour is hot.” Shot back. 

“I do not.” Matt denied. 

Shiro just smirked at him. He twisted them in a deft move and Matt found himself against the wall, Shiro’s hand cradling his skull, the other across his lower back. He ducked in for another kiss. 

“Let me get you off? Please.” Shiro murmured into his mouth and Matt whined softly. 

“Not like I’m going to say no.” 

Shiro smiled. “I like to hear it.”

That was because he was a huge sap and Matt was charmed by every stupid thing he did. “Takashi, I want you. I love you.” 

Shiro groaned against his mouth, him and his weird kinks. Matt tugged on his hair again, just because he could. Hands snuck down to grope his ass now that he could. An ass like Shiro’s deserved to be groped, fondled, generally appreciated. 

“Matt.” He breathed. When he looked at Matt his face was flushed, mouth wet and red. Matt’s breath stuttered in his chest. His own mouth throbbed, lips tingling. 

Shiro slid to his knees. He knelt so smoothly, he left Matt staring down at him dumbly. Shiro looked up at him, adoring. Matt slid his hand to cup Shiro’s cheek, rubbing his thumb across his wet lips. Shiro pressed a sweet little kiss to the pad of his thumb and Matt found himself smiling back. 

He kept petting at Shiro’s head while he tugged Matt’s stretchy yoga pants down his hips until they caught around his thighs. His dick was raising to meet Shiro, the visual of him there on his knees looking so sweet getting him most of the way there. Shiro’s hands swept across his stomach, his hips, the hickey on the meat of his thigh that Shiro left there the last time he ate him out. 

Shiro pet his dick next, running his fingers across the plumping length of it. Shiro opened his mouth and sucked his entire cock into his mouth. Soft like this it wasn’t difficult. Matt groaned, shoving the back of his hand into his mouth to muffle himself. The other hand he kept in Shiro’s hair, feeling the minute bob of his head. 

Shiro suckled around him, Matt’s thighs quivering as he continued to fill out, blood rushing to his dick. He was beginning to get wet. He shuddered, hips twitching in Shiro’s hold. 

“Fuck baby.” Matt gasped. Shiro looked up at him, mouth stuffed full of Matt’s cock, flush high on his pale cheeks, white fringe tangled up in Matt’s fingers. “You’re so good.” 

Shiro hummed in response and Matt gasped, eyes screwing shut at the way it seemed to rattle around inside his core sending a curl of warmth through him. He was getting wet, he could feel it, clenched down for the little flare of sensation. 

Shiro settled into a slow bobbing rhythm, sliding down deep and pausing for a moment before he pulled up with a filthy drag. Matt twisted and groaned, slowly feeling like he was going to come out of his skin as Shiro wound him up tighter and tighter. 

He couldn’t spread his legs wide enough for Shiro to get fingers into his pussy but this was almost better every bit of him hanging on every deep suck. The silky feel of the inside of Shiro’s cheek when he let the head drag and catch there. Matt’s eyes huge as he watched the bulge of his dick. 

Higher and higher it seemed like he wasn’t going to come, he was just going to keep getting closer and closer in a logarithmic scale. Matt’s breathing was ragged, muffled by his hand. Shiro looked content on his knees, watching Matt through his lashes from time to time as if to gauge his progress. 

He was going to scream, come right out of his skin. Then all of a sudden between one breath and the next he was right there. He tugged at Shiro’s hair, voice hitching on a gasp. He jerked and twitched through it, toes curling, body bent over Shiro while holding his head in place until his mouth became too much. 

“Sorry.” Matt panted while Shiro wiping at his mouth, coughing a few times to clear his throat. 

“I’m not.” He rasped. 

Matt slid down the wall into a puddle, thighs spread across Shiro’s lap. 

“Gimme a sec.” 

“Take your time.” Shiro crooned at him, petting through his hair and nuzzling at Matt’s chest like he couldn’t see his dick right there, hard in his work out pants. Shiro began to suck at his nipples and Matt hissed, digging his nails into Shiro’s flesh shoulder. 

“Okay, okay, sit back.” 

Matt scrambled off Shiro’s lap so he could slither between his legs, tugging his own pants back into place. The clean up was easier this way. He pulled Shiro’s dick out, so fucking wet from just sucking Matt off. 

“You’re really into this.” Matt joked, pressing a sucking kiss to the head, flicking his tongue along the slit. 

“Like making you feel good.” 

Matt felt his ears get hot. He fucking loved how soft his stupid boyfriend was. 

“You’re so good at it.” He mouthed the words onto Shiro’s dick, licking up the side softly. When he looked up Shiro was propped up on his elbows giving him a dopey look. Matt closed his eyes against the swell of affection and focused instead on sucking the head delicately into his mouth. 

It had always been a nagging irritation that Alphas and Omegas were fundamentally built differently. As hard as he tried he wasn’t going to be easily able to fit Shiro into his mouth. His cock was just too big, pushing his jaw to the limits and flirting with his gag reflex constantly. Matt’s eyes watered as he tried to push himself further, throat twitching against the head of Shiro’s dick. 

Shiro swore above him, fingers gliding through his hair, just petting behind his ears and down across his jaw. Shiro liked to try and feel himself, got off on any part of him being inside Matt. 

Shiro swore and tugged on his hair giving him enough time to pull back, jerking Shiro’s dick with the hand he wasn’t using the hold himself up while suckling the head. He worked Shiro just the way he knew made Shiro the loudest, the most shameless. 

“Matt, baby.” Shiro crooned at him, breathless and wide eyed when Matt looked up at him. 

He hummed softly, letting his tongue slip out of his mouth so Shiro could see the way he laved at the head. 

“Fuck.” 

Matt sealed his mouth over the head when Shiro began to come. He was careful not to spill, this was a communal training area after all. 

Shiro collapsed against the floor with a low groan. Matt crawled his way up his chest, nosing along the edge of his sleeveless top basking in Shiro’s scent. He drew the line at trying to rub himself on it but he couldn’t help the low content purr. 

Shiro looked at him all pleased with himself and the universe in general if only for right now. 

“We really need to stop fucking in here someone is going to catch us.” Matt huffed, not inclined to move, content to let Shiro and his chivalry take the firm coldness of the floor and he’d longue long Shiro’s chest. 

“I think Allura has.” 

“What?” Matt squeaked, “how do you know?” 

“It’s a paladin thing.” 

 

 **11**

“I feel better knowing that the Commander is going to handle things at home.” Shiro said, they were in the room dubbed the planetarium. The actual name had about seven different Qs and sounded faintly dirty so they had gone with a more conventional term. Allura and Coran had shrugged and accepted it as fact. 

It was shaped like a dome, images could be used to create a 3D matrix around the user, the holodeck had been a strong contender in the name but that apparently was actually a dirty word in Altean that made Coran flush beet red and Allura to politely leave. 

Matt had sat down with Hunk and their modified Galra tracking system to hook it into the map. Interfacing three difference species of tech without zapping his fingers needed a little help. This allowed them to create a better conceptual map of the galaxy, all 4 dimensions represented. 

Matt hummed in response. “I know its important, but it feels too soon you know? I just got him back.” 

“You could have gone too.” Shiro said softly and Matt tensed. It had both been an easy and the hardest decision to stay. 

“I guess there isn’t a lot I can do out here, I’m not a pilot.” 

“I didn’t mean that.” Shiro replied. 

Matt sighed softly. “I know.” 

It was amazing having Shiro again. He was able to find him any time he wanted too, knew that he wasn’t more than a few minutes away. No longer lost in space, a mirage, an oasis in lonely space on an inhospitable rock. 

This Shiro was alive and real and Matt could reach out and touch him if he wanted. Could hug him again and relearn the way the curve of his body fit against Matt’s. Long cold nights curled together, whispering secrets into the darkness. Only in the glaring lights of the castle surrounded by a team that looked up to Shiro, him cutting an imposing figure as the leader of Voltron the dirty cell floor seemed so far away. It was like another life time. 

Every time they were close enough Matt had to stop himself from reaching out. Shiro was magnetic. 

“Matt, hey you know I really didn’t mean that.” Shiro looked distraught and Matt huffed out a little laugh at the expression on his face.

“I know that dork. I was just thinking about Mom and Tesla. She must think we’re all dead.”

“You know her better than that.” Shiro replied softly and Matt’s shoulder drooped a little, yeah, he did know. He was going to stumble on her in the stars next, single-handedly trying to find her family because that’s what Holt’s did. Pidge would have never stopped looking for him. He had never stopped looking for Shiro. 

“Do you miss your family?” 

Shiro frowned, “I have a lot to do here.” 

“That’s not what I asked. You’re evading.” 

Shiro gave him a wry smile, eyebrows coming together. “Yeah. I hated going back when I lived at the Garrison, but weirdly I miss it now.” 

They lapsed into silence, watching stars spin by them. There was a black hole near Shiro’s head devouring a yellow dwarf. Matt stared at it, amused by the ironic symbolism. Little blue Galra formations surrounded them a subtle reminder about why they were out here having this conversation and not going back to earth with the teleduv. 

Shiro was examining a twin star formation, small frown on his face. The lighting in here was doing funny things to his eyes. Shiro looked amazing, nothing out of the ordinary for him. Matt’s chest was tight, this must be what asthma felt like.

“There is something I wanted to tell you when I found you.” Matt finally broke the silence between them. Shiro tilted his head toward him, he felt pinned to that stare. He’d practiced it from time to time, the longer alone he was the more it became a theoretical if and not a firm when. 

That had seemed so easy when he wasn’t facing Shiro again. Shiro who had traded his life for Matt’s, who had held him and fucked him. Shiro who smelled so good when he hugged Matt. Shiro who led his little sister into battle against an entire empire with nothing but his will and a near-indestructible metal cat.

“I don’t think I ever said thank you.” 

“For what?” Shiro’s gaze flitted guiltily to his leg like Matt wouldn’t have suffered worse in the ring. That was a scar he hadn’t earned but was proud to wear. 

“For you know—” 

Shiro instantly flushed scarlet. “I—uh, it’s no big, I mean you’re welcome?” Shiro stammered over the words. And Matt found himself smiling at how flustered Shiro was. 

Matt laughed nervously and Shiro joined him with a shrill little giggle. 

“I don’t think I’d have been able to handle it if your Dad tried to thank me.” Shiro was still beet red but he was smiling. “The retroactive embarrassment when I realized what he was asking me was bad enough.” 

Matt pulled a stern face. “Captain Shirogane, thank you for your duty.” 

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” 

Matt paused. “Something like this.” 

Shiro was looking at him now. Matt’s stomach squirmed. Fuck. 

“You know you don’t need to thank me.” Shiro said softly and Matt nodded, shrugging to himself. 

He imagined Te-Osh, she would have never rolled her eyes at him, but she would have whacked him in the ass with her staff and told him to stop wasting time. He missed her fiercely. He had told her about Shiro many times when he just needed to talk in the middle of the night the two of them wandering the halls of the castle. 

“When I was looking for you, I promised if—when I found you I’d tell you—” Matt licked his lips, not quite able to get the words out passed something suddenly stuck in his throat. 

“Matt.” Shiro was leaning towards him, as if he’d just realized the magnetic pull between them. 

“I missed you so fucking much.” Matt finally said in a rush, not exactly what he wanted to say but closer. “As dumb as it sounds, spending time on that floor, just, when you weren’t there it was worse.” 

Shiro took a half a step towards him, Matt was still staring off to the side, lacking the confidence to ask for what he wanted. Not when rejection would actually hurt. 

“When you were gone I couldn’t tell you I wanted more.” Matt finally admit. 

He smelled Shiro before he heard him. 

“ _Oh thank god_.” Shiro breathed, and Matt had to tip his head up to look at him, Shiro was crowding into his space. 

He reached out, one arm curling around his shoulders and drawing him into a crushing hug. Matt pressed his face hard against Shiro’s shoulder, holding him just as tight while Shiro shoved his face in Matt’s hair. 

“Fuck Matt. I missed you too. God, you smell so good still, I thought I’d imagined that.”

Matt laughed, it caught in the middle. Delirious with Shiro so close, trying to crush the air of his lungs. Who needed air when he had Shiro right here with him? 

“Can I kiss you?” Shiro asked, barely pulling away enough so that he wasn’t muffled. 

“Is that even a question?” Matt giggled, chasing Shiro’s mouth with his own. 

He wasn’t in heat this time, everything fogged like he’d been on a bender. He was crystal clear and Shiro was kissing him and he was so fucking happy. 

“Pidge beat me to it, but I was never going to stop looking for you.” 

“She can be a little intense.” Matt agreed. 

“Honestly? I’m a little scared to tell her.” Shiro kissed him again. “But I want you, not just for your heat, but forever.” 

Matt began to purr softly. “You punched Zarkon in the face but you don’t have the balls to come clean with my baby sister.” 

Shiro growled playfully, “I’ll show _you_ balls.”

**Author's Note:**

> Share your own Matt head cannons so we can fangirl about it.


End file.
